Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson invited the community to attend the event which will be followed by the Nature Conservation Council’s 100 per cent Ready Forum, with local presenters sharing their renewable energy success stories.

“There is much to celebrate, including the newly installed 70kW solar system at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, which is expected to generate 110MWh of electricity - equivalent to powering 15 Dubbo homes,’’ Cr Dickerson said.

“This is expected to save up to $25,000 in electricity and 88 tonnes of carbon for the environment.’’

Other initiatives include Victoria Park’s upgraded Energy Smart Family Day Care Centre, which includes the installation of a 4kW solar system, skylight, insulation and other energy efficiency initiatives. The Dubbo Aquatic and Leisure Centre has also installed solar pool heating for the children’s leisure pool, which is expected to save the facility 97.5GJ.

Recent figures released by the Clean Energy Council have revealed Dubbo is the number one solar power capital in Australia, where more than one-quarter of homes now have solar systems on their rooftops.

“With close to 6MW now installed in Dubbo, our community is saving at least $2.5 million dollars each year in electricity costs,’’ Cr Dickerson said.

“This means major social and economic benefits to our community.

“Council has been educating and encouraging our community to increase their uptake of renewable energy. This began in 2009 with the council’s installation of a 3kW system at the library and offering rebates to residents. Efforts have been significantly increased more recently due to funding from the NSW Environmental Trust which has allowed Council to investigate a range of renewable energy technologies for Dubbo.’’

Cr Dickerson said the upcoming launch and associated energy forum provided a fantastic opportunity for the local Dubbo community to learn more about renewable energy.